Fire-hose lightener and signaling device.



J. L. DRAKE.

I'IRE HOSE LIGHTENER AND SIGNALING DEVIQR; APPLIOATIOK FILED APR. 22,1910.

1,002,972. Patented Sept. 12,1911.

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w c/g fi. 1. ATTORNEY mI-UMBIA PLANOGRAPII COuWASHINGNYN, 13.:

J; L. DRAKE.

FIRE HOSE LIGHTENER AND SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION I'ILED APR. 22, 1910.

1,002,972, Pateflted Sept. 12,1911.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

10 f aws. 13 i ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH can WASHINGTON, u. c.

JOI-IN I1- DRAKE, 0F MONTICELLO, INDIANA.

FIRE-HOSE LIGHTENER AND SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Application filed April 22, 1910. Serial No. 556,977.

To all whom ii may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. DRAKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Monticello, in the county of White and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Hose Lightenerand Signaling Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the class of hose that is designed to be usedby fire departments in cities or elsewhere for extinguishing fires, asis customary; the hose being adapted to be connected either to streetplugs or to fire-engines for conducting water under pressure to thefires; the invention having reference more particularly to a device thatis adapted to be connected in a line of hose to enable the fireman tolighten the weighted hose when filled with water, in

case the discharging end of the hose must be carried up ladders orstairways in order to be within convenient reach of the fires, thedevice being adapted to enable firemen on the ground to give codesignals to the pipe men at the nozzle.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means wherebywater-filled fire hose may be quickly lightened throughout thoseportions that may have to be carried up to a height to reachconfiagrations, the aim being to lessen the danger to the firemen at thenozzle that is inseparable from the necessity of pulling the hose upladders or otherwise on either the exterior or interior of buildings.

A further object is to provide means whereby code-signals may beconveyed to the fireman at the nozzle expeditiously by utilization ofthe water in the hose.

The invention comprises a gate, including its casing, of novelconstruction, adapted to be connected with fire-hose whereby the hosewhile connected and filled for use may be either partially or entirelyemptied quickly in order to lighten the hose without disconnecting thenozzle, the device being adapted to be operated rapidly for causingfluctuations in the pressure of the water in the hose or to momentarilystop the fiow of the water and repeatedly permit it to flow in order togive prearranged signals to the men at the nozzle.

The invention consists also specifically in the construction,combination and arrangements of parts as hereinafter particularlydescribed and claimed.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fire plugwith which the invention is connected, a fire hose being connected withthe invention, all illustrating the purpose of the improvement; Fig. 2,a top plan of the complete gate or hose lightener; Fig. 3, a sideelevation of Fig. 2; Fig. 4:, a longitudinal vertical sectionapproximately central, with the gate adjusted, so as to stop the fiow ofwater from the engine or fire-plug and discharge the water in the hosebeyond; Fig. 5, a fragmentary horizontal section on the line A A in Fig.3 with the gate adjusted as in Fig. i; Fig. 6, a fragmentary horizontalsection also on the line A A in Fig. 3, with the gate adjusted to normalposition to permit the flow of water through the hose; Fig. 7, afragmentary horizontal section of the casing of the gate; Fig. 8, asection of the casing on the line B B in Fig. 7 Fig. 9, a section of thecasing on the line C C in Fig. 7 and Fig. 10, a perspective View of thegate.

Similar reference characters in the different figures of the drawingsindicate corresponding elements or features of construction thereinreferred to.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates a street hydrant of the classcommonly known as fire plugs; 2, a section of the fire hose adapted tobe connected either to other sections or to the fire plug or to the fireengine, one end of the fire hose being provided with a union nut 3 andthe opposite end with a companion part of the union 4 to which a nozzle5 provided with a stop cock 6 is connected.

The present invention comprises specifically a casing 7 which issubstantially cylindrical and has an imperforate bottom 7 at the lowerend thereof, oneportion of the side of the casing having a neck 8thereon in which is an inlet opening 8, a unionnut 9 being suitablymounted on the neck and adapted to be screwed onto the fire-plug or tothe terminal end of a hose section, the nut having screw threads 9therein, and the opposite portion of the side of the casing has a neck10 thereon in which is an outlet opening 10, the neck having externalscrewthreads 11 thereon to which a union-nut may be connected forcoupling a section of firehose to the casing. The interior of the casingis bored out so as to be true to provide a true and smooth bearing face12 for the gate and its guides. Another-side portion of the casing hasaboss 13 thereon in which is an outflow opening 14, approximately aslarge as the outlet 7 opening extending through the wall of the casing,so that a short spout of ample diameter is thus provided through whichwater may flow rapidly from the hose. The bottom 7 of the casing has aprojection 15 on the inner side thereof and preferably also a similarprojection 15 constituting stops for the gate. The casing comprises alsoa removable head or top 16, provided with lugs 17 and 17 or similarmeans whereby an implement may be connected to the head for screwing itinto or out of the body portion of the casing, at the opposite endthereof from the bottom. The head has a central guide-opening 18 thereinwhich extends through a boss 19 on the exterior of the head, there beinga counter bore 18 at the inner end of the guide opening. Suitablepacking 20 is placed on the end of the boss and held in position by apacking-nut 21 screwed onto the boss. It will be understood that thebore in the casing is slightly tapering, being less in diameter at thebottom 7 than at the head 16, so

. that the gate proper shall be self-fitting and may operate against thebearing face freely and permit of removal from the casingwithoutliability to stick fast. 7

The gate 22 is concavo-convex in section and is seated mov'ably againstthe bearing face 12 and is adapted to extend either across the inletopening 8 or across the opening14, the ends 23 and 23 extending slightlybeyond the opening, and the gate extends also downward nearly to thebottom 7 and upward toward the head 16, so that it may close either theinlet opening 8 or the hose emptying opening 14 of the spout. The gateis guided and maintained on its seat by means of a curved guide 24 thatextends from the end portions 23 and 23 of the gate against the oppositeportion of the wall of the casing, the upper end of the gate and theguide together being circular in plan, the guide preferably being coredout so as to avoid waste of material, leaving a center-bar 24 integralwith the gate and ,on which an operating stem 25 is cast integrally andhaving a squared end 26 whereby to operate the gate. The other or lowerend of the gate has also a curved guide 27 thereon that extends from theends 23 and 23 against the portion of the casing opposite the gate, thisguide having also a center-bar 28 connected thereto and to the gate tooperate between the projections 15 and 15 and limit the movement of thegate to insure accuracy in bringing the gate to spring extending aboutthe stem 25 for holding the gate against its seat.

The gate may be operated by any suitable wrench or equivalent device,but preferably a hand wheel is provided comprising a hub 30 placedremovably on the squared end 26, there being two arms 30 and 30 on thehub and to which a rim 32 is connected for conveniently turning thegate, the rim preferably having projections 33 and 33 thereon to which aspanner wrench may be connected if found desirable. The arms 31 and 31or either one, of course, may be used alone on the hub if preferred andthey may at sight indicate the position of the gate, as will beunderstood.

In practical use the casing of the gate is coupled into the line offire-hose at any suitable or desired place or may be con nected to thefire plug and with the hose as indicated, the gate being adjusted so asto close the opening 14 and permit the water to flow through the hoseunder pressure as usual, and if it be desired to communicatepre-arranged signals to the firemen controlling the nozzle at the end ofthe fireh ose, the gate may be quickly turnedso as to partially uncoverthe opening 14 and cause a reduction of pressure in the hose, which willbe instantly observed by the firemen who, with a continuance of themanipulation to cause repeated fluctuations or stoppage of the flow, maybe made to understand what they are required to do in the matter ofdirecting the stream of water. In case it becomes necessary to carry thenozzle end of the hose to a height when filled with water which would beburdensome, the gate is turned so as to close the inlet opening 8 andopen the outfiow opening 14 which permits all the water above the levelof the hose lightener to flow out rapidly and thus enable the firemen tomore easily ascend with only the empty hose to carry. After the men withthe nozzle have reached the desired position the gate is readjusted soas to close the opening 14 and clear the passage through the casing withthe gate and permit the water to flow through the hose as usual.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

'1. A fire-hose lightener including a casing comprising a substantiallycylindrical side wall with an inlet-opening and an outlet-openingtherein, and an imperforate bottom on one end of said Wall, the saidWall having an outflow-opening therein between said openingssubstantially equal in diameter to the outlet-opening, a gate guided bysaid side Wall clear of said bottom and movable either across saidoutflow-opening or across said inlet-opening, an annular head secured tosaid side Wall and having a central recess in the inner side thereof, astem on said gate extending through said top, and a spring seated onsaid gate and in said recess.

2. In a fire-hose lightener, the combination With a casing comprising asubstan- 1 tially cylindrical side Wall in Which is an inlet-opening andan outlet-opening and also an outflow-opening, there being a bottom onone end and an annular head on the opposite end of the Wall, of a curvedgate movable in contact With the side Wall and normally extending acrosssaid outflowopening, a curved guide on said gate adjacent to said bottomextending to the said Wall, a curved guide on said gate adjacent to saidhead extending to the said Wall, a center-bar extending from said gateto said last-mentioned guide, and a stem on said center-bar extendingthrough said head.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN L. DRAKE. Witnesses:

E. T. SILVIUS, K. R. WODDELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

